Who knew catering was such a treacherous business. Hayley and her mother are involved in a cruise to promote the Key West e-zine, but the cruise literally blows up. One person killed and lots of finger pointing. Naturally Hayley is involved much to her husband’s chagrin. Entertaining as always with this series with some surprises.

This was another lighthearted fun read with Hayley Snow and the gang. I have read every book in this wonderful series and have enjoyed every single one! When Hayley's mom is implicated in a murder, Hayley pulls out all the stops to clear her mom"s name. This is a fast paced mystery with a great setting, wonderful main characters, lots of red herrings, and a touch of humor. I can't wait to read the next book in this highly addictive series.

I am always happy to return to the crew of Key Zest as well as the house boat slips in Key West. This episode was no exception! This follows with the usual formulaic nature of this cozy mystery series which is entertaining as well as comforting. These characters, especially Miss Gloria, really know how to make the series. I am always excited for the next installment and was so happy to get a chance to read and ARC of this one.

A great cosy crime mystery and perfect for the summer holiday or if you have a surplus of mangoes. This book combines a murder or two with some great ideas for using mangoes and what I love is the recipes at the end. Well worth a read either as a standalone, as I did or as part of the series. I would certainly read more if I came across them

Life for Haley Snow is just about perfect. She's enjoying life with her new husband on their newly renovated houseboat. Her mother's catering business is taking off. She has a good relationship with her new boss at Key Zest and she's happily preparing for a series of celebrations for her beloved neighbor Miss Gloria's 85th birthday. Surely nothing will happen to dim this happiness.

Guess what! Just minutes into a Key Zest sponsored cruise that's going to boost sales and promote Haley's mother's company, an explosion rocks the boat. Not only is this a promotional disaster, not everyone escapes. On top of that, suspicion falls on Haley's mother. Hayley is determined to clear her mother and find the real culprit. Along the way, she'll have to deal with tension in her marriage, a slew of parents and in-laws, and Miss Gloria's unpleasant relations.

This one kept me turning the pages to see what new challenge Haley would face.

The Mango Murders by Lucy Burdette is the 15th installment in the Key West Food Critic cozy mystery series. Every time I read a book in this series, it's like taking a mini trip to Key West. I can taste the food, feel the breeze and picture myself living in a houseboat in houseboat row. I highly recommend The Mango Murders and the Key West Food Critic series.

Hayley is a food critic in Key West, Florida. Her employer is sponsoring a big shindig on a boat, and her mom is the caterer. Everyone is shocked when there is an explosion onboard and there are many injuries and one fatality. Of course Hayley feels she must investigate despite her police officer husband's request to let his office handle it. The Key West ambiance is fun, but I did question the wisdom of Hayley's judgement when she goes to a deserted area to investigate without informing anyone and gets into trouble. Recipes are included. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Mango Murders begins, literally, with a bang when the boat Key Zest is renting for a special party explodes. What follows is a twisty, maybe murder, mystery featuring the usual characters like Miss Gloria, Lorenzo and Hayley’s mother and stepfather Sam. But, this mystery adds in more members from Hayley’s family, Nathan’s family and Miss Gloria’s children as they all gather in Key West to celebrate Miss Gloria’s 85th birthday. And, Hayley’s boss Palamina’s past becomes part of the mystery as well. Nathan’s mother enthusiastically joins in to solve the mystery of who set off the explosion and why. A partial body leads to confusion as to the victim. It’s mango season in Key West so the fruits feature prominently in dishes and events. Someone isn’t happy they are asking so many questions. Just as it seems everything will be resolved, another big reveal comes along. A thoroughly enjoyable installment in the Key West Food Critic series.

Key Zest Magazine is hosting a cocktail party on a boat to promote the magazine. The affair is being catered
by Hayley Snow's mother, Janet, to promote her catering business. Unfortunately, the boat is rocked by an
explosion shortly after the affair starts, requiring the attendees to be rescued. The aftermath uncovers a
woman's body - who is she? As Hayley seeks to discover the identity of the dead woman, the question of why
remains. In addition, Hayley is dealing with the ccelebration planned ffor Miss Gloria's 85th birthday, attended by
family and friends. Is the explosion related to the magazine, Janet's business or the captain of the boat?
Another wonderful read added to the series.
#TheMangoMurderst #CrookedLaneBooks #NetGalley

I always enjoy escaping to Key West with this series and this book doesn't disappoint. There is an awful lot happening this time around too .... won't give away spoilers but we learn more about some of our favorite characters putting them at risk in the case of this title --- this book was a quick read and involved a few storylines that tied together nicely in the end.
Can't wait to read the next one because this story ends with lots of excitement!!
Well done Lucy :)

When Hayley's career and her mother's catering business are both threatened by an act of sabotage, she is ready to investigate. With a wonderful Zey West setting, heartwarming characters and a great plot this cozy mystery is a winner.

Would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery that keeps you guessing till the end.

Thank you to Lucy Burdette, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book

The Mango Murders is the fifteenth book in Lucy Burdette’s Key West Food Critic Mystery series. A sunset cruise hosted by Key Zest takes a deadly turn when an explosion on board leads to a death investigation. Meanwhile, Hadley Snow juggles solving the mystery while hosting family and friends who have traveled to Key West for Miss Gloria’s birthday celebration.

I’ve been reading the Key West Food Critic Mystery series since An Appetite for Murder was published, and it remains one of my favorites. Even before reading The Mango Murders, I knew I would recommend it simply because of how much I’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series.

Another entertaining addition to the series. It is well written with a plot that will keep you guessing until the end.

It all starts with a grand fun birthday party catered by Hayley's mother that literally explodes! Local detective Bransford wants to keep everyone safe, but Hayley, her mother and others with family/friend interests are all trying to find out: who was responsible, who is missing, and who was the target. Fast paced and even with situational humor, banter, and lots of wit. Loved this addition to the series!
For those new to the series: Hayley Snow is a food critic, and her husband Nathan Bransford is a local police detective. Whenever the occasion arises, she winds up sharing the sleuthing with her fantastic octogenarian neighbor, Miss Gloria. This installment is quite stand alone, though.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected e-file from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Pub Date Aug 12, 2025
#TheMangoMurders by @lucyburdette #KeyWestFoodCriticMysteriesBk15 @crookedlanebooks
@goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble @waterstones *****Review @booksamillion @bookshop_org @bookshop_org_uk @kobo #NetGalley #cozymystery #keywest #foodie #houseboat #foodie #friendship #celebration #explosion #e-zine

Lucy Burdette has written another fun edition of the Key West Food Critic murder mystery. Book 15 is a fresh as book 1. Hayley Snow has worked hard to help her boss arrange a publicity dinner on a replica Hemingway boat but before they can even clear the harbor, the boat explodes. Hayley and almost every one else escapes with minor injuries, but an unidentified body is found in the hold of the boat. As always, Hayley is deep in the investigation even though her husband Nathan is not happy with her involvement. To complicate things, Miss Gloria’s 85th birthday is coming up and a simple celebration has turned into a major event. As always, while accompanying Hayley around town on her adventures, we are shown snippets of Key West that always makes me want to visit again! I was delighted when NetGalley offered me an Advanced Reader a copy but the opinion is my own.

While on the cruise Hayley Snow is worried if she is able to make a big impact with her article or she will be stuck writing recipes and local food gossip. Soon, Hayley discovers that luxurious cruise that is filled with delicious is also filled with murders and conspiracies.

The writing itself is not captivating as other thriller book tend to be, but the fast pacing of the story makes up for it.

The description of the foods of the food made my mouth water so much.

As it was first time reading this author's work, I feel that the author did a good job introducing characters and their dynamics.

Now, for Mystery genre it is important for me not to be able to guess who is behind all of this, but also it is important that this person didn't appear out of thin air and the author did a pretty good job with that.

Five stars, I genuinely believe that this book is underrated and I can see these series as a Netflix show that I will enjoy watching.

Lucy Burdette’s THE MANGO MURDERS
Jamaican children sing of mamas turning the cookpots over and sending them out to eat mangos when ripe, so plentiful and for only a short time. In Key West, mango season is celebrated, with menus and recipes and parties, celebrating the fresh, delicious fruits. Why would anyone want to spoil the joy? Why indeed — Hayley and family/friends use all their collective wits to try to find the why and by whom of an “accident” that took a life and threatens livelihoods and peace of mind.
Meanwhile, celebration of Miss Gloria’s 85th involves multiple events, bringing together those who love her . . . and her family, still determined to move her to (shudder, brrrr) Michigan. I loved exploring Key West by car, foot, and scooter, enjoying the descriptions of places, people, and food — I could almost taste the delectable offerings, and there are recipes!
Villains are on a par with Iago, but there are also pleasant events and a surprise I wouldn’t dare spoil but kinda saw coming. ;-)
Coming Aug. 12, plenty of time to catch up on earlier books in the Key West series, should you wish to.

Another great installment in this cozy series. Love the Key West setting, the character development and an interesting mystery. Following Hailey around Key West as she explores the many restaurants, parks and sights, is part of this charming story. Looking forward to the next one.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.